Ae Nicht Oot

Last night we went to a Scots Nicht dinner where we drank, feasted, and were treated to a series of toasts, songs, and humourous readings, all expertly delivered. It was great fun. The evening was presented by and for the Strathearn Ramblers of which we aren't members but, rather, are considered "hangers-on." We have gone on a couple of their organized rambles. As many of them are members of the Friends of Cognac, we know more of them now than before the recent trip to France.

We dressed in our finery and walked to the White Church at 7 for 7:30. (This is a typical Scottish phrase indicating that you gather at 7 for a 7:30 meal or programme.) Don wore his kilt but not his Bonnie Prince Charlie jacket and waistcoat. He did have his sgean dhubh [pronounced "SKEE-ann doo"] (bone-handled dagger) tucked into his sock, just above his flashers (the red ribbons affixed to the tops of the socks). Don said he felt like Bad, Bad Leroy Brown walking through the streets of Comrie with a knife in his sock.

He also wore his sporran (the leather pouch that hangs from a chain around his waist). His Maple Leaf tartan (the Canadian plaid which Don chose because he grew up and went to university so close to the Canadian border) looked wonderfully autumnal, especially with his matching tie against his French blue dress shirt. Many men wore kilts last night although a couple wore "trews" which are tartan trousers. Half the women wore their tartan sashes over white blouses with long skirts; the rest of us just dressed up.

It was a most enjoyable evening. We sat with a table of folks we mostly know from various aspects of village life and met the one couple we didn't know who, it turns out, live right across the street from us and two houses down.

A delicious meal was provided by the Achray House Hotel in St. Fillans and there was wine available. Following the meal, a Ramblers' chorus performed, various men offered toasts, and a man and two women gave recitations, humorous readings delivered in broad Scots. One of the most delightful of these was the scandal of a village, a young woman who "washed her undie on a Sunday" and hung it on the clothesline for all to see, delivered with breathless mock outrage.

At the end of the programme, we all stood and sang "Highland Cathedral" followed by the linking of hands right round the room and the swinging of arms as we sang "Auld Lang Syne." At the start of the second verse, hands are released, arms are crossed, then hands are rejoined. In Scotland, all official social programmes, entertainments, weddings, and other celebrations generally close this way.

We walked home at about 10:30. The clear cold day had given way to a cloudy but warmer evening. Today Don is out playing golf. This afternoon, we both get our flu jabs and then have the usual 2 p.m. Skype session with Molly, Mark, Iris, and Cameron. Tomorrow we plan to go to Glen Lyon for our annual autumn drive through that gorgeous glen. Perhaps we can manage a walk while we're there. We're hoping for some sunshine but right now the forecast is calling for it to be windy and cloudy. Oh well, the forecast is so often wrong, we won't worry about it.